1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tool for effecting forced entry of a building. More specifically, the invention relates to a breaching tool that is collapsible and expandable between an easily-transportable compressed state and an extended state for breaching a door, respectively.
2. Description of the Related Art
Both public-safety and military personnel are often faced with the need to perform a forced entry into structures. A forced entry can be, and often is, a life-threatening scenario during which every second counts. Shaving seconds from the operation can mean the difference between life-saving tactical surprise and life-ending ambush. Knowledge of and training with the variations in door-breaching techniques, however slight, as well as practice and conditioning for the door breaching operation, are vital to a tactical situation.
Breaching tools have been used throughout the ages for penetrating fortified positions. Breaching tools are commonly used today by the military, law enforcement, firefighters, emergency response workers, and other public safety personnel to effect forced entry into a building or structure. Typical breaching tools, however, are unwieldy and cumbersome. U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,171 (the '171 patent), for example, discloses a typical battering ram that includes a bulky, concrete-filled cylinder with an epoxy resin head. The battering ram disclosed in the '171 patent, however, is physically difficult to pack due to both its bulky design and its weight.
The inability of traditional, cumbersome breaching tools to be comfortably carried or packed has often lead soldiers, law enforcement officers, and other such public safety personnel to jettison the devices if the likelihood of use is low. Should such a device later be needed, the soldier must instead implement improvised methods of entry, such as shooting through the door or using explosives. Such improvised methods are dangerous for the user, and also increase the possibility of collateral damage to whomever or whatever is on the other side of the door.